Fill text with gradients or images in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote

Fill text with a gradient

A color gradient creates a gradual transition between two or more colors. On iPhone, iPad, or Mac you can fill text with a two-color gradient.

Fill text with a two-color gradient

You can fill text with a two-color gradient fill and adjust the direction and angle of the gradient.

Select the text you want to fill with a gradient. To fill all the text in a text box, select the text box.

Tap or click the Format button .

Tap or click Text Color.

On iPhone or iPad, tap Gradient. On Mac, click Gradient fill.

To change the colors of the gradient, use the color pickers to choose swatches. Or use the color wheels to select the exact colors you want. For example, choose purple to start the gradient, and blue to end the gradient.

Use the other controls to change the angle and direction of the gradient.

Create a gradient fill with more than two colors

On Mac, you can add more than two colors to a gradient fill. Select the text, then choose Advanced Gradient Fill from the Text Color pop-up menu. Using the slider, add color stops to add more colors to the gradient. Click a color stop to change the color of that stop. Drag the color stops and use the other controls to change the blend, angle, and direction of the gradient.

Apply a gradient to an entire page or object

You can apply a gradient to an entire page or object, so the gradient is spread out over the whole page or object—even areas of it that don't contain any text:

In a Pages word processing document, select the text, then select "Apply gradient to entire page."

In a Pages page layout document, a Numbers spreadsheet, or a Keynote presentation, select the object, then select "Apply gradient to entire object."

When you select this option, you might see more colors as you add more text and fewer colors as you delete text.

Fill text with an image

Select the text you want to fill with an image. To fill all the text in a text box, select the text box.

Tap or click the Format button .

Tap or click Text Color.

On iPhone or iPad, tap Image. On Mac, click Image Fill.

To choose an image, tap Change Image on iPhone or iPad, or click Choose on Mac. Then, navigate to the image you want.

You can scale or stretch to fit the image in the text, tile the image, and more.

You can also add a color overlay. On iPhone or iPad, turn on Color Overlay, then make your adjustments. To add a color overlay on Mac, choose Advanced Image Fill from the Text Color menu, then click the color wheel and make your adjustments.

Add an outline to text

Select the text you want to outline. To outline all the text in a text box, select the text box.

Tap or click the Format button .

On iPhone or iPad, tap the More button . On Mac, click the advanced options button under Font.

Select Outline.

Select the line type, the color, and the width of the outline.

You can remove the color of the text to emphasize the outline:

On iPhone or iPad, tap the Format button , tap Text, then tap Text Color. Tap Preset, swipe to the black and white options, and then tap No Fill.

On Mac, click the Font Color pop-up menu below Character Styles, then choose No Fill.